rs aero

[BobBill]

Finn and Aero in same breath...my o my...Finns are really not that difficult to tune...at least they were not a few years ago, well, maybe 10, but they were a bear to sail to spec, as I recall.

I just do not remember the cost being that high to find a needle, boom and step. But good observation Ed and funk. Not quite the same boat, though.

 

[Martin Wadhams]

The Aero mast will be made by one of the world's largest suppliers of windsurfer masts...and fishing rods. They buy carbon and "do" quality tubes in volume and with high level consistency. The spars have been developed with them to provide the stiffness characteristics we want. We've been through multiple versions, adding and removing carbon (stiffness) before arriving at the spec the development guys and sailmakers are happy with.

The aim is to produce a highly adjustable rig, that will allow a wide weight band to compete. Leading small boat sailmakers on both sides of the Atlantic are adamant that a Dacron sail will perform best. Personally, I've argued for a Dacron / Mylar combi sail for an easier sell - but we're pretty determined that form should follow function on this boat - not lead it.That's how to make the simplicity actually work. As has been said, Finn rigs (for example) are quite specific to sailor weight and they are actually pretty stiff - "hinging" at deck level but relatively stiff above - so Mylar works fine for them.

Absolutely promise to show more upwind video and photos.... photographers have been too excited by the downhill action! We've aimed to keep the boom high enough for civilised tacks and gybes, but of course when you see it all vanged up upwind, it is lower at the back than when reaching.

 

[sgoodall]

Martin.....certainly looking forward to seeing more upwind photos and video! I have placed my order.

 

[WestCoast]

RS has rolled out North American launch pricing of $6,940 for a complete RS Aero.

(Limited to the first 200 boats).

I know there are customers in the US that have already put orders in since yesterday, so it's all happening.

--

The current order form is a mess, but RS is updating.

$500 reserves yours

http://rssailing.com/us/explore/us-rs-aero

 

[Reht]

So does that price include the shipping, duties, etc?

That's a really nice price for what looks like a sweet piece of gear.

 

[Speng]

sometimes you can tell when some people just blat about on boats rather than do much racing. Your views are shared extensively amongst friends and acquaintances of mine who primarily windsurf, or kite surf. Other friends who race boats found the footage from Weymouth on the Finn, 470, Star, Laser Radial etc some of the best media coverage the sport of sailboat racing has ever seen.

What is even more remarkable is that many of us formed an opinion that fast boats would actually be 'crap' viewing after that - slow = more tactical etc. After all the 49er coverage was the lamest show going in Weymouth, and despite the obvious hilarity of the Qingdao medal race, it was a complete lottery that didn't really do justice to the 4 year campaign of some of the world's best yachtsmen.

But then along came the AC... in foiling cats. That was a perception changer again.... so sailing's in a pretty cool place right now, fast and slow boats proving tactical racing is still tactical racing. Something this boat, at this price, could offer in spades for many sailors across the world.

As for the Aero and Olympics, I wish the guys at RS well with that if that's their ultimate objective, but as Martin alluded to, that's not necessarily something they would wander into without some serious consideration given past experiences. Besides on another forum, they've been quite clear that the target is not to 'replace the Laser', but if we the punters like the looks of something fresher and more modern, and the Laser fails to implement that long overdue overhaul due some legal spat, then if they snooze, they could lose and the legal fees would be for nothing but a legacy.... and we'd probably all be better off for it.

Weymouth showed what a good venue and good coverage (commentating and camera work) can do for "average" sailing. The last Olympics was nice I recall the RSXs and the Lasers (yes the Lasers!) were cool to watch and the women's match race finals were far more interesting than the typical World Match Race BS I sometimes get to see because the conditions were good and a the production value was way higher than I expected. When you watch Olympians sail a typical 470, Laser etc around a race course you realize they're on a different level than your average weekend sailor.

Of course the classic quote was "They've made me angry"

 

[WestCoast]

$6940 is complete, ready to sail, picked up at a dealers warehouse.

 

[Bruno]

Great price

 

[BobBill]

That price hold, the boat does not falter, it should do very well-among the younger swabs and others...

 

[Reht]

I'm not up to date, but in NA, what does a new laser cost complete and delivered to your local dealer?

 

[Fireball]

Great price

Yes - when comparing prices you have to take into consideration that a properly constructed boat is going to have a very long competitve life. You'll have to buy a new sail from time to time, but the hulls for a small single hander should be competitive for many years. This should improve resale values.

It's way overdue that we have a simple reasonably priced single hander with up to date construction.

 

[Bruno]

I thought we did for the past 40 yrs

 

[WestCoast]

For comparision on Laser Pricing (USA):

Laser 'Race' - $6065 + shipping to dealer

Laser 'XD' (carbon tiller, better hardware) - $6,545 + shipping to dealer.

So, yes, the Aero is a pretty epic value all things considered.

Again, I am not sure if the Aero competes with the Laser at this time, not sure that is RS's intention.

Test sailing the Aero in a few weeks at RS... heard some US journos might be invited too.....

 

[Reht]

For comparision on Laser Pricing (USA):

Laser 'Race' - $6065 + shipping to dealer

Laser 'XD' (carbon tiller, better hardware) - $6,545 + shipping to dealer.

So, yes, the Aero is a pretty epic value all things considered.

Again, I am not sure if the Aero competes with the Laser at this time, not sure that is RS's intention.

Test sailing the Aero in a few weeks at RS... heard some US journos might be invited too.....

While it may not intentionally be in competition, anyone looking at a laser for a fun toy will be looking at the aero too. For a racer looking for the laser one-design game it's not going to be an option, I agree...

 

[BobBill]

Being a former Laser owner, I must humbly suggest that the value does not equal the cost...just my take, but I thought the boat was poor quality and dumped it first chance and never looked back.

A similar price for the Aero with carbon spars etc, seems reasonable, and great without Performance in the picture.

 

[us7070]

Being a former Laser owner, I must humbly suggest that the value does not equal the cost...just my take, but I thought the boat was poor quality and dumped it first chance and never looked back.

A similar price for the Aero with carbon spars etc, seems reasonable, and great without Performance in the picture.

Well, i guess the value calculation for the Laser depends on how much you value competitive OD racing..., as it is certainly the easiest and cheapest way for most people to get in to it .

sure, where you live, there may be some cheaper, and more competitive fleet, but on average around the country, it's hard to beat the laser.

I think we can mostly agree that for a beach toy, that will never get raced.., there are choices that offer better value than the Laser.

Anyway, I agree that the Aero seems to be a better value at the intro price than a new Laser - viewed strictly in terms of the construction and materials.., but probably not a better value if you want to race.

They should consider offering _really good_ fleet pricing.., for say 8 or 10 boats - perhaps some club looking for a new fleet will step up.

the sooner we see pictures of actual fleet racing in these boats, the more likely it is to succeed.

I don't think manufacturers realize how narrow the time window is for a boat to take off - i think in most cases the window for really huge success is pretty much closed after a year or two.

classes that will be huge, mostly take off right away.

sure there are exceptions - the viper went no where for years, and then succeeded, but that's unusual, and even their success isn't huge - i think there are already more J/70's than Vipers.

a good deal on individual boats that will end up scattered across the country, and rarely meet up with each other, might work, but probably won't.

 

[Steam Flyer]

..

sure, where you live, there may be some cheaper, and more competitive fleet, but on average around the country, it's hard to beat the laser.

... ...

They should consider offering _really good_ fleet pricing.., for say 8 or 10 boats - perhaps some club looking for a new fleet will step up.

the sooner we see pictures of actual fleet racing in these boats, the more likely it is to succeed.

... ...

This is why the USA has the oldest, kludgiest, one-design fleets in the developed world. "Don't buy any boat that doesn't already have a big fleet." Guess what, somebody bought the first Laser, somebody bought the first Hobie 16, somebody bought the first Lightning.

Fleet discount pricing to get things rolling is good idea; I hope the Aero gets some traction

FB- Doug

 

[Bruno]

Here is a new boat, made in UK, I believe, and shipped to US with an intro price of $7K, with a solid build, good resin/glass sched, modern spars and sails, rigged for racing, and a modern design...

And you want a cheaper price for fleet building?

And they say that Walmart and its ilk have not ruined the consumer mentality...

 

[BobBill]

I cannot disagree. Time will tell. Maker wants to make the boat sell, he can. People like value, but are easily fooled often. The Laser did well, when the price was right and it and the Sunny rulled. The Bansee and some others, which still compete may have failed for reasons other than sailing. As implied, time will tell.

 

[us7070]

Here is a new boat, made in UK, I believe, and shipped to US with an intro price of $7K, with a solid build, good resin/glass sched, modern spars and sails, rigged for racing, and a modern design...

And you want a cheaper price for fleet building?

And they say that Walmart and its ilk have not ruined the consumer mentality...

I'm not saying they should do it for my benefit...

I'm saying they should do it for their own benefit - so they make a lot of money, instead of just a little money!

If your goal is to sell, say, 1000 boats or more a year for 10 years, does it matter if you sell the first 10 or 20 at say 1/2 price?

what if that first 20 or so boats starts two fleets, and ends up making the difference between the Aero being the next Laser (250K boats sold), and just another could-have-been class?

They've already got many thousands of dollars invested in the design, the development, and the tooling - I think it's a colossal business mistake to not do what it takes to get the first few fleets off the ground right away..., before people conclude this is just another design that won't catch on.